Rail-joint.



J. H. STULL.

HAIL JOIN.

APPLlcmou min oct. 3, 1311.

1,268,296. Patented .huw l, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Til-

famig- J. H. STULL.

RAIL JOINT.

APmcAnoN msn ocT. 1,

hun" i N LW? 2 ,my f 7 iw SSS" I. H. STULI..

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT, 3, i311. 1,268,296. Patented .Inno 1I, 1918 3 SHEETSNSHEET 3- 514 veu/tof, Jl' 63u21 vmwwwww H )ffInH u i mgm W 17' 'I Hh UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB H. STULL, 0F FREMONT, GHIO.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application tiled ctober 3.

To all 11i/10m t may concern Be it lt'nown that I. Jason H. S'ruu.. a citizen of the United States, residing at Fremont. in the county of Sandusky and State ot' Ohio have invented certain new and usel'ul lnijn'oveinents in RailJoints; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear. and exact description oit' the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to malte and use the same.

M v invention has for its' object to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive. vet a highly etiicient and durable joint for railway rails. provision being made whereby the` device may be used either on one or two ties to equal advantage. and whereby the necessary expansion and contraction of the rails is permitted.

lVith the foregoing general object in view, the invention resides in the novel features oi construction and unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which forni a part of this specification and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the in1- proved rail joint in use upon a pair of ties;

Fig. 2 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1. but showing the opposite side of the device;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Figlpfis a disassembled perspective view;

Fig. 5 isa transverse section ori-the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a similar View on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustratin screw spikes in place of the tapered pins s own in said last: named figure.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the in use. upon a single tie;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section on the plane of the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a transverse section on the plane indicated by the line 10-10 ot' Fig. 8; and

Fig. 11 is-a detail horizontal section showing more particularly the arrangement of openings and notches in the faces of the rail.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates a horizontal hase plate having an L-shaped fish plate 2 joined integrally with one of its side edges, said joint ratented June 4, 1918.

1917. Serial No. 194,523.

fish plate being braced by transverse Webs 3 and by suitable longitudinal ribs 4.

The meeting ends of a pair of rails R are adapted to rest on the base plate '1 with the tish plate 2 engaging one side thereof. The bases of the rails are formed with elliptical openings 5 which aline verticali) with openings (i formed through the horizontal iange ot' the fish plate 2 and through the hase plate 1 as shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and Tapered pins T (Fig. 3) orscrew spikes 7 (Fig. 7) may be passed through these alined openings to prevent` endwise creeping of the rails. but it will be clear that the elliptical openings 5 are of such dimensions as to permit slight longitudinal shitting et the rails under expansion and contraction. ll'hen the screw spikes 7' are utilized, they not only serve to secure the rails in the joint. but they act to assistin anchoring the entire joint to the ties and thus no spikesA need be used on the edge ot' the base plate, adjacent said screw spikes.- When, however. the pins 7 are employed. spikes 8 such as are commonly employed. are used to hohl the adjacent edge of the base plate in Contact with the ties.

The edge of the base plate l. opposite the fish plate t2, is preferably spiked to the ties in all eases, by suitable-.spikes such as those indicated at 9, and the upper side of said plate is provided with a rib 10 which extends along said edge, in spaced relation to the bases ofthe rails. A second and detachable fish plate 11 engages the sides of the rails, opposite those with which the fish plate 2 contacts, said detachable fish plate having a thickened base flange 1Q between which and the rib 10. a suitable wedge 13 is driven to hold the detachable fish plate in proper position. The wedge 13 may be held in operative position by any suitable means; For instance. one end of said wedge may be threaded to receive a nut v14 as shown in Fig. 1, or, as depicted more particnlarly in Figs. 8, 9 and 10. the wedge in question may be provided with a. horizontal flange 15 overlying the rib 10, the two being formed with vertically alined openings 16 through which spikes 17 are driven into the tie, to prevent movement of the wedge after it is once driven home. Also, the 1vvedgl and the base plate may be provided with vertically alined openings 1G through which additional `spikes 17" are driven, these spikes also extending into the tie so that they assist in securin the entire device thereto. When the nut 1 is utilized, a suitable spring washer 18 or other' suitable device 1s preferably used as shown in Fig. 1 to exert a constant tightening action upon the wedge, and in most cases, a Cotter pm or the like 19 is provided for locking the nut against possible removal.

Similarly, any preferred means could Well he employed for holding the tapered pins 7 against removal, but cotter pins 20 preferahl passthrough lugs 21 on the sh plate 3 fin' this purpose, said Cotter pins overlying the pins 7 as shown clearly in Figs, 2 and 3. These pins 7 are preferably provided with vertical extensions 22 on their upper ends, `whereby they may be easily removed when the cotter pins 2() are withdrawn.

The sh plate 11 is in all cases provided 'with transverse depending lugs 23 which project into recesses 24 formed in the upper side of the base plate 1, said lugs extending through. notches 25 in the edge of the rail bases, remote from that having the openings 5. By this feature of construction, it willhe obvious that further anchorage against longitudinal creeping is obtained. The inner ends of the lugs 23 are preferably formed with notches 26 into which the edges of the rail bases are received as will be clear from Figs. fl and 5. construction prevents any possibility of the detachable fish plate 1l being displaced by vibration or by the movement of the rails nude-r expansion and contraction.

The improved joint may be employed either upon one or two ties, as occasion may demand, and in order that it may readily span pair of such ties, the ends of the plate are provided with extensions 27 which may well decrease in thickness toward their outer ends, as the strain at such ends is slight. Wherever possible, the device will he mounted upon one tie only, since the simplest forni of the .Wedge 13 may then be utilized as indicated in Figs. 8,- 9 and 10. .rurthermore, the spikes 17 and 17 which secure this wedge 1n place, also assist in anchoring the entire joint tothe tie. This form of the invention is intended principally for use upon streets in which the ties are )laced below the surf ce, (see Fig. 10) but Wish it understood hat it could also be used wherever applicab From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsfit will be obviousfthat although-my invention is of comparatively simple and inexpensive oo n-l struction, v.it will be highly eilieient and durable for the purposes intended. Since `probably the best results are obtained from the. severed specihi "tails shown and described, these det-.ids constitute the ,',cc

This detail of hase plate having an L-shaped fish plate formed integrally with one of its edges, said 100 ferrea form of um device, but I wish it understood that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor chan es may Well be made.

I c aun:

plate, and locking pins passing horizontally s0 through said lugs and overlying said tapered pins; together with a second and ldetachable fish plate operatively associated with said base plate for holding the rails in plrLce.

2. A rail clamp eomprisin i base plate having an integra fish plate on one edge to abut one side of the rail, the upper side of said base plate, near the other edge thereof, having sockets, a second and a horizontal L-shaped fish plate Whose horizontal llangeoverlies the last named edge portion of sald base plate, lugs depending from said flange into said sockets and adapted for reception in notches in the rail bases, said 1u s having notches to receive the edges of said ases; to- 9E gether with means for securing said second sh plate in respect to said hase plate.

3. A rail clamp comprislng a horizontal base plate and the horizontal ilange of said fish plate having vertically alined openings with which openings in the rail bases are adapted to re ister, fasteners for passa e through said a ined openings, a detachab e L-shaped fish late 'Whose horizontal flange overlies the e ge of the base plate opposite the first named fish plate, said base plate having sockets in its upper side and located adjacent said last named edge, lugs depending from said detachable iish plate into said sockets and adapted 'for passage through notches in the rail bases, the inner ends of said lugs having notches ntofwhich the bases are adapted to extend, andmeans for securing said detachable fish plzv'tte in operative position.

4. A rail clamp comprising a'l horizontal base plate having an L-sha ed 'fish plate formed integrally with one el) a longitudinal rib formed integral y with and rising from its other edge, said base plate and the horizontal flange of said fish plate having vertically alined openings with rib, said, base plate having sockets in its 130 itsed es and'120 .which openings in the rail bases are adapted upper side located beneath Said detachable fish plate, .lugs depending from said detachable fish plate into said sockets and adapted for passage {ln-ongli notches in the rail buses, said lugs having notches into which the exigen` of said basesl are adapted to exte: d, :l Wedge driven between said rib and Sad :ietachable figli plate, and a horizontal tlange on said wedge overlying said rib, said fiange and rib having openings 'for registration tn .H receive n driven fastener.

In testimony when-0f 1 have herenntn set my hand in the preence 0i two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB H. S'IULL.

Witueses:

B. A. FOUCHE, JOSEPH T. YEGKLEY. 

